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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — for pool
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. net — after costs
  5. cue — a signal
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. season — in sport
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fine — all right
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. net — for catching
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. root — of a word
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wax — to grow
  18. root — the cause
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. fine — high quality
  23. net — in sport
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com